I recently bought a new billet HEI from Hotrodsusa on special for $70 and on the installation instruction sheet it says NOT to install the distributor with the "dark red, hard fiber-like" gasket that is new on the distributor now that, (I thought), fits between it and the block B/C doing so would VOID the warantee??

WHY??? What does this have to do with anything?

I erased my other thoughts here...

pdq67

PS., NICE looking HEI unit!!!

I have an aftermarket billet HEI too. Never read the directions and used the gasket. No problems. One thing to be aware of is the vacuum advance comes in waaay early on these units.

it came with a gasket and told you not to use it? huh?

As if we need another excuse to have oil all over the back of the engine....

Unless the gasket is a different thickness than what they recommend, I can't imagine what the deal is. I'm sure there is something to it though, but I can't imagine what.

Why don't you call them and ask them ??????????????????? There might be a very good reason that none of us know about.

maybe the guy who wrote the instructions doesn't speak english as a primary language, and something got lost in the translation? that's common on stuff from across the pacific ocean..

the "dark red, hard fiber-like" gasket Could the "gasket" be a fiberglas washer? Fiberglas is not soft and has no crush, therefore, doesn't seal well as a regular paper washer.

Here's what Hotrodsusa said...

"the hei is sentive to ground, it will not ground properly with a washer".

And here's what "Ignitionman, (Dave Ray), said and he said OK to post..

To: Dave Ray
Subject: Re: Hard fibre washer:

Dog-gone, guy!!

Thanks, for the heads up!!

I wondered about how much of a bargain I was getting for $70 + $12 S&H???

It is a pretty good looking HEI unit so I will try it if I ever get around to it.

Iman: = "It actually sounds like a Sydney Speed one, because the dealer cost for a Pro-form is just at, or slightly higher than what you paid."

About the washer, I don't care if it weeps a little or not, b/c ALL my motors always leak a little somewhere...

Anyway, how you getting along??

Iman = "Long move, lots of stuff I moved all by myself, like lathe, other light stuff."

I'm finally in the short-rows ta getting my car going after ALL these years!!

Iman = "New coil info for you, for small body HEI:
Chrome, MSD 8200
Black, NAPA IC12 (DO NOT use IC12SB)
Black, Car Quest 26189

Accel is no longer recommended. Good USA made Accel will have a segmented crimp to hold the top on, Taiwan stinker Accel will have full crimp, no raised portions arond joint between body and top."


Still have to hard-line my pdqCBB rear disc brake calipers and figure out how to hook up my e-brake cables to the Cad. calipers but no biggie at least yet..

Nice ta hear from you and if you don't mind, I will post your message over at Team Camaro.

Iman = "Post as you see fit, thank you."

Get back to me if you don't want me to b/c Ed had me pull his two BSE motor combinations off onna the Boards recently. You know, the old "hate and discontent" crap still pop's up every so often.......

Iman = "Well, Ed just seems to always insist on bringing it to himself. He is his own worst enemy and I am not surprized he starts irrational actions most of the time."

Happy Holidays and keep in touch.

Iman = "And to you and yours, too."

pdq67

And from my earlier e-mail.....

"Dave Ray <sparkman451@earthlink.net> wrote:
Those washers are just what they are called, HARD fibre, and not very
sealable in distributor situations as their surfaces will not easily conform
to iregularities. They are made for fittings that use wrenches to close the
sealing area down onto the ends with added pressure over what a distributor
to manifold junction would use.

The makers of that distributor, in China, where most aftermarket large cap
HEI's are made, probably just went out and got a spec gasket, and after
getting a bunch of complaints, looked into the issues and found the hard
fibre washers wouldn't seal. They would have been way better off just not
including a gasket with the dist.

90 percent of those offshore dists are made by Pro-form, for sale to many,
many different entities, such as Summit, Jeg's, PerTronix, Mallory. There is
one that is marketed by Sydney Speed and Marine, called a Pro-Comp, and it
is literally a junker. The Czeckoslovakian named Peter that owns Sydney
Speed in Australia, pays another offbeat Chinese company literally
$15.00/Aus dollars (about $7.50/US dollars per unit) for those particular
dists.

If the one you have is a derived from Sydney Speed one, expect issues and
problems. Summit bought 5,000 of them, sent tham all back, were junk. Many
other businesses bought his bogus dists from Peter, and all I know of have
sent them back.

The Pro-Form ones are much, much better quality than the Sydney stuff is,
and work as you would expect an HEI to work.

Regards,

Dave Ray
IgnitionMan

DAVE's small-body HEI's
24 Buffalo Lane
Yerington Nevada, 89447
(775) 463-1821
(775) 463-1809 (Fax only)
www.davessmallbodyheis.com (http://www.davessmallbodyheis.com)
sparkman451@earthlink.net
sparkman451@dslextreme.com"

Good read from Iman, imho..

pdq67

Dang Paul, I wasn't REALLY serious about you getting an HEI ;) Most just harrassing you since I haven't messed with a points distributor in many, many years.
In any case, just use a regular soft paper distributor gasket. If I would have known, I would have brought a handful back with me.
I bet your going to find that the mechanical advance curve in the distributor is too long. Do you know of anybody around here that can check the curve on it? Theres a couple places in Tulsa, but I don't know about mid MO.

No, all's cool on the HEI. And I hope you are feeling better?

I bought it b/c I have never owned/used one and as my Buddy, down south of Birmingham would say, "I'd pay $70 to watch a cat sh-t!"... Vs, say $150 or so???

It may not be all that much of a top notch unit but I figure it should do fine for no more then I'm going to use it.....

At least it IS new, sorta deal...

pdq67

Nothing wrong with having two distributors for troubleshooting. Thanks for the tips on HEI dists.

I have one of those pro comp 9000 distributors and i've been pretty happy with it. for the price i paid at a swap meet you couldnt beat it. I did change the vac canister to an adj. and changed the springs. What kind of probs are others having with these?